For decades, headlines have been filled with stories of professional athletes facing messy, drawn-out child support battles-and NBA champion Horace Grant is one. Although his child-support battle seems to have been years ago as the child most likely is now an adult, Grant revisited the saga in an undated interview.
Grant was the defensive powerhouse who helped Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls clinch three consecutive championships and later snagged a fourth with the Los Angeles Lakers.
During the talk, his $35 million fortune entangled in a legal fight over child support. Not only that, he complains the fight over finances has also affected his retirement savings. Although Grant dos not explain if and how he may still be face child support battles or which mother of his children the battle was with, if he had failed to paid court ordered child support years ago, it could still be catching up with him.
According to Modern Family Law, failing to pay court-ordered child support can lead to serious consequences, including contempt of court, fines, and even jail time. Other repercussions include wage garnishment, license suspension (driver’s and professional), passport denial, and negative impacts on credit scores. And sometimes this can play out over years.
And many high-profile athletes have gotten caught in child support battles that dwindle their fortunes. Take former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who in 2012 reportedly owed over $800,000 in child support for two of his children, along with $51,000 in unpaid alimony, according to a blog by the law firm of Lisa E. McKnight. At the time, Rodman’s attorney said the situation was worsened by the fact that Rodman was no longer has an NBA income and has in fact paid more in child support than he earned in the past year.
Many sports legends whose careers come with massive paychecks followed by sharp income declines. Grant fails to indicate if the child support battle was with his ex-wife, Donna Grant (married 1988–1994, mother of one son) or his ex-girlfriend, Ann Gore, mother of one of Grant’s daughters.
Grant, who is currently married, has three sons (Deon, Horace Jr., and Elijah) and five daughters (Coriel, Gianna, Maia, Naomi, and Eva).
“This is what the child support agency tried to do to me. It’s called a QDro. Qualified Domestic Relations Order. They went after my pension,” Grant explained of his dispute during a recent short clip on the “Child Support is Fraud” podcast hosted by Lionell TJ Tillman.
Grant claims the court tried to tap into his pension and violated strict procedural deadlines in doing so. “Here’s the kicker. If they don’t have a signed affidavit by a judge in 180 days the QDro is void,” Grant said. (It’s not known what period Grant is referring to, as by 2010 he reportedly had cashed in his NBA pension after suffering some investment losses.)
But according to Grant, those deadlines weren’t followed: “Here’s the catch: a 180 days pass, no judge signed. They didn’t have anything. Next thing you know two weeks later a judge sign and we got to keep it frozen.”
Finurah has not independently verified any of Grants claim, yet Grant, whose 17-year NBA career generated nearly $68 million, still seems to be angered by his child support saga.
When asked if the same judge from his divorce signed off after the deadline, Grant replied, “Fact. And I got receipts.” He identified that judge as Erin M. Childs, which appears to be a California family court judge in San Luis Obispo County.
I don’t know why Athletes Don’t do a lump sum and be done with child support
I find it wired that the men have too pay a 100% child support but the women gets to sit on her ass and the women don’t have too show no finance she didn’t earn a dime so she is entitled too a dime why she can’t get a dam job ? Child support needs to change a women should get a job if she don’t work she can’t get no help period and she should get a card and she can’t spend it on any accepted food and clothes only in all 50 states @ president Trump
Lump does what? Give credit! No state or federal court is going to accept Lump sum! Well they will , but as final payment! Non custodial parent can make annual salary of $1,0000,000 or 1,000 it can fluctuate ! If you turn broke, then lump sum will be credited
This is child support not alimony. No one should have to sue you to get you to support YOUR children. And to respond to Travis Halls comment if the mom wasn’t working to support the child while she was married why is it her sole responsibility to find a job after the divorce to support the child? You sound like a fool!
Keivin Durant is the smartest athlete of all time! He doing it the right damn way! These dudes are getting caught by sneaky deceptions and they get caught up! It’s a hole fellas be careful of what hole you put your man parts into or it will create life long headaches!
Women get to much money. Get a job to help with support of your child if you can’t make it on the money you get
stop sleeping around and making dam babies 8 freaking kids and u don’t have millions anymore that’s on u don’t complain now pay up and shut the hell up it was good then now it’s not u professional athletes gonna learn one day too late and that would be u bruh I don’t feel sorry for u having kids all over the place go get another job 😳😳😳😡
This is the steep price for messing around with unemployed full time party girls & “kept women”
Once you get them used to the lifestyle of never having to work, the Courts use that against you – these idiots deserve what’s coming to them- he had every chance to date a middle school teacher with her own benefits, paycheck, pension, etc – but instead he chose the sluts that find a way to get behind the velvet ropes where the celebs are
I got a tiny azz violin for his sob stories – his stupidity led to all of this – also it was stupid to cash in his pension early
I get it. Yes Horace has 8 kids and had life most of us would envy. I am a self employed insurance broker from NJ who shares his sentiment. The court system where chuld support and alimony is concerned, has many flaws and depending on who is wearing the black robe on a particular day, so does it’s judges. We have a son who was 16 when the formal legal process began and he is now 23 yrs old. My ex has lied about our son being in college which extended child support until 2022 before it ended. Turns out if the school records were disclosed, he could have or shall I say, should have been emancipated 3 yrs prior (the year he entered college). My ex was getting approximately $55,000 annually via alimony, child support and an account she lied about. Despite my proof to substantiating my claims, the court has not done anything to give me financial remedy even though my business doesn’t provide the income when we divorced in 2018. At 66 yrs of age, they expect me to produce what was made in 2018 while my ex did nothing to support herself before getting a part-time job a year ago.